Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 19:

Thousands of devotees today visited Matatirtha to commemorate the Matatirtha Aunsi and pay homage to their expired mothers at Matatirtha. According to myth, people whose mothers have died can see their faces in the Matatirtha Kunda (pond) on the full-moon day of Baisakh. Tradition of the fair goes back to the ancient time, says Gyan Jyoti Sharma, a local priest. According to him, lord Ram, during his 14 years of exile, came to this place with goddess Sita. Being thirsty she asked for water. As there was no water spot nearby, lord Ram shot an arrow in the ground thereby creating the Kunda (water pond) to quench her thirst. This day is celebrated by the Hindus as Mother’s Day. On this day, people visit their mothers with sweets, clothes and presents to make them happy and get her blessings. People who have lost their mothers, however, visit Matatirtha.

Myth has that the soul of the dead mother comes to this holy spot and a devotee can see her face in the pond water on this day. The devotees offer sweets and flowers to the pond with the belief that their mothers would accept the offering and bless them. Kaushalya Adhikari from Malekhu has been visiting the spot for the past twelve years and claims she sees her mother’s face in the pond. There are hundreds like Kausalya but few visit the spot just to escape the bustle of the city life. Matatirtha lies some eight km away from the city centre.

Though the water in the pond and the nearby river is not worth bathing, few devotees were seen diving into it. Suman Pandey, a local VDC personnel and an organiser of the fair said that efforts are being made to keep the river clean. “The number of devotees has reduced this year in comparison to the previous years,” he admitted, adding that it was due to the ongoing crisis in the country.